European wildfires reveal a hidden danger: buried bombs and mines from WWI and WWII

The devastating wildfires sweeping across Europe this summer have unearthed a hidden danger: unexploded bombs and mines from World War I and II that pose a grave risk to emergency responders battling the flames. These explosive remnants from the wars of the past still pose a threat, even in the face of intense heat. Fires in France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands have reportedly resulted in blasts, with a bomb-disposal team sent to assess a forest near a site of intense fighting in Limburg province during 1944.

Climate change is exacerbating the situation, according to Sarah Njeri, a peace and conflict scholar at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. Rising temperatures and consistent rainfall previously kept the buried weapons dormant. However, climate change is now unearthing and reviving these weapons, she said. Wildfires can ignite the munitions, while the flames can also burn away the vegetation that conceals them.

This summer’s wildfire season was particularly intense, fueled by heavy rains in January that encouraged vegetation growth, which then became kindling as the summer heat arrived.

The combination of high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds created ideal conditions for fires, as outlined in a study released last month by the World Weather Attribution group. As the flames advanced, they crossed over areas known to contain unexploded weapons, remnants of battles long past. In a French forest during a particularly dry period, a massive wildfire outside Bordeaux revealed a cache of ammunition believed to date back to World War II.